Making Money With Tucker

August 21, 1988|By Rick Kogan.

There isn`t any mention of him in the movie, but J. Gordon Lippincott played an important role in the making of the famous cars that are the subject of Francis Coppola`s ``Tucker: The Man and His Dream.``

``I don`t know how Tucker found us,`` said Lippincott, now retired and living in Connecticut, recalling the 1947 day Preston Tucker walked into the Manhattan offices of Lippincott & Marguiles, a fledging design firm.

``Tucker needed $25 million to begin full production, so he had to design, engineer and sell the car on spec in a hurry,`` said Lippincott.

``Although excited, we had to send half our design staff to Detroit, so we insisted on payment each week in advance.``

Five L & C designers worked closely with Tucker and his head designer, Alex Tremulis. In three weeks, a full-scale clay model of what would be the Tucker Torpedo was built.

Unfortunately, Tucker`s dream died shortly thereafter-see ``Tucker`` for further details. Only 46 of the cars remain in existence.

``We were one of the few companies that did not lose money on the Tucker,`` said Lippincott. ``But I wish we`d taken some of our design fees in cars. They`re worth a fortune now.``